Bad medical examiner postcript

Friends:
You may have seen my earlier post about the issue with my AME's office
screwing up my student certificate. Well, he straightened it out, and
now I can't fly. Rather than editorialize, I will just lay out the
chronology and let you make your own judgments. It starts in 1965,
believe it or not, but isn't TOO long...

March 1965: I am a disruptive and distractible four-year old when they
are trying to teach us to read (I already knew how to read and was, in
part, bored). I am sent to visit with the school psychologist. We
talk some on two occasions and play a board game. That's the last I
hear of it. I complete grade school, junior high and high school,
college, and law school, with no meds or educational assistance, test
in the 99th percentile on all standardized aptitude tests for college
and law school, and am named a National Merit Scholar.

September 2004: I see my doctor about my congenital borderline
hypertension, some tendonitis in my wrist from typing, and the fact
that I feel sometimes distractible in my high-tension job as a trial
lawyer in public service. We talk, and I relate my grade school issue.
He writes a history of tendonitis, hypertension, and ADD.

February 2005. I finally get to the point in my finances and schedule
where I can live my dream of flying. I go to Samuel Scott, M.D., at
Washington Occupational Health, and pay $140 for a Class III medical
exam. Dr. Scott jokes, "flying, huh? So, you have some extra money
you don't need? How about giving it to me?" I explain to him that I
am getting my medical to make sure there are no issues before I spend
the time and money in flight training. He notes my BP meds, tells me I
can't qualify, then goes away for a while, and comes back with the BP
evaluation protocol he seems to have just discovered. Over the next
couple of weeks, I submit the necessary records (including the
September 2004 note that has a BP reading on it) and the stuff from my
MD.) I pass the medical, but never receive my certificate...

March 2005: After weeks of trying to find out why I don't have my
certificate, without explanation, I am told by his office assistant to
come in and pick it up, which I do. I start flight training.

November 21, 2005: 8.5 months and $10,000 later (I am in the ADIZ and
have to fly 20 minutes each way to and from the practice area, which
adds to the cost) my CFI has me schedule my checkride for December 5.
I try to register for IACRA and can't. FAA tells me the number on the
certificate in my possession does not match the paperwork the AME's
office submitted to the FAA. FAA says AME has to fax in explanation.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 (13 days to checkride): I call the AME to
get this corrected and he says "it's the holidays and I'm leaving
town." I indicate some urgency because of the impending checkride. He
says he will look into it when the office assistant gets back in on
Monday.

Monday, November 28 (7 days to checkride): I call and talk to the
office assistant. First she ever heard of it (she's not the same one
who issued the faulty certificate). Pledges to look into it and says
she will call back Tuesday.

Tuesday, November 29 (6 days...): Call office assistant back. She's
not in the office that day.

Wednesday, November 30 (5 days...): AME calls me, says former office
assistant messed up my certificate and just filled in a new one to give
me. He explained she was not used to them being numbered, because only
student pilot certificates are numbered. Informs me the number is now
straightened out. However, he noticed the ADD notation in the
September 2004 record and says "that is a disqualifying condition.
Goodbye." End of story. No help, no mention of any protocol to submit
additional information, nor any explanation of why he didn't think of
this when he performed the exam and signed off originally. Recall that
I obtained the exam BEFORE I spent the time and money training, just to
make sure.

Saturday, December 3 (checkride is Monday, December 5): I receive
letter from FAA dated November 30 revoking my medical, and suggesting I
"voluntarily" surrender it within 14 days or face legal action.
Attached is a protocol for a battery of tests to be performed by a
psychologist or psychiatrist and submit if I want to be re-evaluated.
Tests include an IQ test, Rorschach (inkblot) test, alcoholism and
depression screening, and other tests for which the relevance isn't
apparent.

Anyway, that's my story. I have submitted a letter from my primary MD
pointing out that the diagnosis of ADD did not even exist in 1965, and
that I received no treatment, so his history is in error. Waiting to
see what the FAA says...

In the meantime, I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone in
this newsgroup for sharing their knowledge of flying, and their passion
for it, during my brief foray into the blue. You all really added a
lot to it.

Wiz